Government Official Seeks to Censor Philanthropist’s Speech.

Anthony Munoz, former Cincinnati Bengals star, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and big-time local philanthropist, was asked by Xavier University to give this year’s commencement address.

Xavier University is a Catholic, Jesuit University, which means they like community service and social justice things like what Munoz champions in the local community.

But Anthony Munoz also believes that marriage should be between one man and one woman and isn’t shy about publicly supporting that belief. This is also a truth that the Catholic Church teaches and has taught uncompromisingly, so Xavier should be on board.

But this position is, apparently, radical and dangerous to some. So radical and dangerous, in fact, that in spite of his many great and laudable efforts to help so many people, a city council member thinks Munoz is unfit to speak to the graduates at Xavier, even though, one can reasonably assume, Munoz would not make marriage a major topic in his talk. Never mind any of that: Since Munoz dares disagree with same-sex marriage he must be censored.

Xavier, being a Catholic university, really has a great opportunity here to witness to the sanctity of marriage, express the true compassion at the heart of the Church’s message for all persons, show how this compassion is beautifully expressed in and through the teachings of the Church—even the ones some find hard or absurd, and to stand up for Munoz’s right to speak even if what he believes or says seems reprehensible to some in positions of power.

For their part the University said, “Anthony Munoz was selected as this year’s commencement speaker because of his tremendous service to our community through the Anthony Munoz Foundation and his remarkable reputation for charitable work.”

So the students think “tremendous service to our community,” a “remarkable reputation for charitable work,” and upholding the sanctity of marriage do not reflect the “university’s values”? Clearly they don’t understand what a Catholic university is all about.

For heaven’s sake, in 2009 Notre Dame honored the rabidly pro-abortion Barack Obama, whom Notre Dame would later sue for violating our constitutionally protected religious liberty, and had him speak at commencement in spite of massive and high-level opposition; ‘twould truly be a travesty if a city council member and a student petition cowed Xavier into disinviting Munoz because he boldly upholds a Catholic teaching that is not presently in vogue.

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of CatholicVote.org

About Author

Tom Crowe is a cradle Catholic with a deep love for and commitment to Holy Mother the Church, colored by a rather interesting life-long relationship with her. Born during the great liturgical upheaval of the 1970s, Crowe was brought up in a parish that continued using the Missal of 1962—the Traditional Latin Mass—for which he developed a love. Crowe learned the faith as a child from the Baltimore Catechism, and didn’t stop learning and wrestling with the Church’s teachings at his Confirmation. Through reading and many conversations with friends and converts far smarter than he, Crowe came to know, accept, and love the Church and what she proposes far more intimately. For three years these conversation took place in seminary before Crowe, with the blessing of the formation team, determined that seminary was not right for him. In the wild and humorous ways of God, Crowe landed on his feet in Steubenville, Ohio, where he manages the online presence for Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he also trains altar servers and is the head master of ceremonies for the Mass in the Extraordinary Form on campus.